Bottle cap opener



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Arman/52s March 1964 B. FREDRICKSON BOTTLE CAP OPENER Filed March 21, 1961 March 3, 1964 L. B. FREDRICKSON BOTTLE CAP OPENER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 21, 1961 INVENTOR. 4542/5 B. FkaaR/cmro/v United States Patent 3,122,950 BOTTLE CAP OPENER Lesiie B. Fredrickson, 3509 43rd Ave. 8., Minneapolis 6, Minn. Filed Mar. 21, 1961, Ser. No. 97,320 4 Claims. (Cl. 81-344) This invention relates generally to wrenches and vises and is more particularly related to devices of the general nature for loosening and removing container covers.

The present invention provides a new, useful and improved device for use, for example, in removing screw threaded container covers. The purpose of the invention is achieved through the use of a minimum number of reliable components which will provide a long dependable lift and may be made of materials readily available and which will provide for inexpensive construction andmay be easily manufactured. Further, a highly portable and versatile device results from the unique combination of component parts. The present invention will also provide for a wide range of sizes through its features of adjustability.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and useful apparatus for use in loosening and removing container covers.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a dependable and long lived apparatus for the above named purpose.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a new and useful apparatus for operating upon container covers which may be manufactured of readily available materials in an economical manner.

These and other more detailed and specific objects will be disclosed in the course of the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in Which- FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partly in phantom, of one embodiment of my invention.

FIG. 2 is a top elevational View of FIG. 1 taken along section lines 22.

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 taken along section lines 33.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along section line 44 of FIG. 3.

PEG. 5 is a sectional view taken along section line 55 of FIG. 3.

P16. 6 is a top view of another embodiment of my invention.

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a front elevational view, taken along section line 8-8 in FIG. 7, of the apparatus of FIG. 6 in which members 60 and 64 are shown in section.

PEG. 9 is a sectional view taken along section line 99 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a top elevational view of a further embodiment of my apparatus.

FIG. 11 is a side view of the apparatus of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a front view of the apparatus of FIG. 10.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along the section lines 1313 of FIG. 12.

Briefly, the invention consists of a pair of gripping members of rod like configuration which may be adjustably attached to a base or frame member so that they may be positioned in substantially co-planar relationship with an intervening space therebetween approximately that of a container cover to be operated upon. A container, and its cover, may be inserted between the gripping members and the opposite ends of the gripping members engaged by the hand of an operator and moved in a direction toward one another to frictionally hold the 3,122,959 Patented Mar. 3, 1964 container cover therebetween. The conta ner then may be turned to loosen or remove the cover.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 5 in which like elements may be identified by like reference characters, there is shown a base member 10 having a plurality of receptacles or holes 11, positioned axially along the front surface and top surfaces. As will be explained below the holes are suitably dimensioned to coact with the engaging extremities of the gripping members. Receptacles 11, positioned in the top surface of the base member, may be provided at a suitable angle to allow sufficient clearance when working up to a wall as illustrated in FIG. 1. The distances between the receptacles 11 are chosen to provide a suitable range of adjustability of the apparatus to allow for its use with containers of varying sizes. A plurality of suction cups 2! 21 and 22 are shown fastened to one surface of the base member through suitable attaching means and may be utilized to securely hold the apparatus to a working surface. Other means of holding the apparatus may be utilized in carrying out the principles of the present invention.

A pair of gripping members 12 and 15 are of generally elongated shape and have knurled hand engaging portions 14 and 17, threaded frictional article engaging surfaces and 16 and frictional base member engaging surfaces 19 and 18 respectively. Gripping members 12 and 15 may be inserted, as shown, into appropriate recep tacles 11 which results in a spaced apart co-planar relationship between the gripping members.

Operation The operation of the apparatus described above is reasonably clearly shown in the drawings. The gripping members 12 and 15 are positioned so that a container member 24 on container 23 may be positioned therebetween to engage the frictional article engaging surfaces 131) and 16. The container cover 24 may be positioned so as to abut base member 16 or at some intermediate position. Application of a force through an operators hand to the extremities 14 and 17 of gripping members 12 and 15 results in the container cover 24 being held securely therebetween. In FIG. 4 the directions of the arrows are indicative of forces set up by the application of pressure to the end extremities 1 and 17. The forces cause engagement of the sides of receptacles 11 with the frictional surface 18. Upon rotation of the container, as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 2, further forces are set up in the directions of the arrows at the left hand end of the members 12 and 15. The frictional engagement of surface 19 of member 12, as illustrated above in connection with FIG. 4, resists and overcomes the force due to the applied torque tending to lift member 12 out of its receptacle 11. It has been noted that considerable force may be exerted in applying a torque to container 23 to successfully remove a firmly secured cover.

It has been found convenient to provide a knurled surface, or its equivalent, upon the hand engaging portions 14 and 17 on gripping members 12 and 15. Further, the inherent resiliency of the construction of gripping members 12 and 15 is believed to aid in the engagement of frictional surfaces 18 and 19 with the walls of the receptacles 11 into which they are inserted and also to provide the operator with a certain amount of latitude in the force applied between the extremities of the gripping members. It has also been noted that the provision of a threaded construction for frictional surfaces 161 and 16 contributes to the usefulness of the apparatus in that a continuous 360 degree operating and wearing surface is provided.

Referring now to FIGS. 6, 7, 8 and 9 in which like elements may be identified by like reference characters, a

3 base or frame is comprised of longitudinal members 40' and 41 and cross members 42 and 43. A slidable cross member 59 is positioned for adjustment along longitudinal members 4% and 41 and has provided therein a threaded receptacle 59 for engagement by one extremity of one of the grippingmembers. A threaded receptacle 48 is likewise provided in cross member 42 for engagement by the extremity of a gripping member. Suction cups 6t and 67 are suitably attached to cross members 42 and 43 for removably attaching the apparatus to a working surface. Cross member 42 is attached to longitudinal members 40 and 41 by suitable connecting means 46 and 47. Cross member 43 is attached to longitudinal'members 40 and 41 by the use of suitable connecting members 44 and 45. Slidable cross member is positioned on longitudinal members 40 and 41 through openings 52 which are provided at the opposite extremities of member 59. It will be noted that the end extremities of member 50 are, as shown in FIG. 9, configured to have an angular relationship 'with the axis of the threaded opening 59 in member 50. This provides for frictional engagement of longitudinal members 40 and 41 upon departure of the grip-' ping member attached thereto from an attitude normal to the plane of the frame.

Gripping members 6% and- 64 are provided'with knurled extremities 62 and '66 for engagement by an operator,

' frictional article engaging surfaces 61 and 65 and threaded end portions 83 and 84 respectively.

Operation In operation, the gripping member 64 and slidable cross member 50 are moved into engagement, for example, with a container cover 71 on container 70. The ap plication of a force between extremities 62 and 66 by the hand of an operator causes slidable cross member 50 to rotate about its longitudinal axis in the direction shown in FIG. 6. This causes frictional engagement of longitudinal members 40 and 41 as illustrated in FIG. 9.

Application of a suitable force will provide sufficient frictional engagement with cover71 between article engaging surfaces 61 and 65 on gripping members 69 and 64 to resist a torque applied to container 70 and thereby allow easy removal of cover 71.

Referring now to FIGS. 1O, 11, 12 and 13, the apparatus shown therein is a further embodiment of my invention in which a frame member in is utilized in com bination with article engaging members 80 and 82 to provide the operation set forth in the objects of this invention.-

Frame 70 may be provided with a recess 71 which extends longitudinally thereof and through the surface of frame 70. The recess, shown here as a T slot, may be considered as a recess of the general type which opens through a surface and which has an increased lateral dimension at its innermost extremity. This is most clearly shown in the side view of FIG. 11. Frame or base member 70 is also providedwith a pair of holes 72' and 74 for use in mounting the apparatus on a wall as shown in FIG. through fastening means 73 and 175. Also provided in frame 70 is a threaded thumb screw which is adapted to extend into the recess for engagement with a further member which is described below. The num-- her or location of the threaded thumb screw may be determined by the desired operational characteristics of the apparatus.

A pair of members 84 and 35 are suitably dimensioned to provide slidable operation in the enlarged portion of the recess 71. Each of the pair of members is securely attached to a corresponding article engaging member 32 and 80 so that the article engaging members may extend through the surface of frame member 70 into suitable position for engagement with articles to be operated upon.

Each of the article engaging members is provided with may be attached to sliding member 84 at a predetermined angle 92 which may be, for instance, 5 to 10 degrees from a vertical axis normal to the upper-most surface of member 84. A plurality of serrations may be provided on the inner-most surface of recess 71 to aid in operation of the apparatus although satisfactory operation is obtainable without this additional feature.

Operation In operation, slidable member 84 may be firmly held in place by thumb screw 75 andslidable member 85 moved toward the same so that the articleengaging members 82 and 86) may be brought into engagement with, for instance a cover 90 of a container 91. By applying a force between the ends 81 and S3 of the article engaging members, slidable members 84 and 85 will tend to move in opposite directions due to the lever efiect produced by engagement with the container cover 90.

It has been determined that only a slight movement of this nature will occur before the edges of slidable members 84 and 85 engage the walls of the enlarged portions of recess 71 to be frictionally held thereby so that any further force exerted on the ends 81 and 83 of the article engaging members serves to securely engage container cover 94} and allow application of a torque to container 91 ina direction which resultsin loosening and/ or removal of thecover.

Because of the frictional engagement of the slidable members 84 and 85 when in operation, it may be seen that the locking effect provided by thumb screw 75 is.

provided for convenience only and, might be utilized when a great number of articles having the same dimensions are to be operated upon. In this case, it might be desirable to provide this form of positional locking at a number of locations along frame 76.

It is understood that suitable modifications may be made in the structure as disclosed, provided such modifications come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Having now therefore fully illustrated and described'my invention, what I claim' to be new and desire.

to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In apparatus of the class above described, the combination comprising; a frame member having a recess ex tending along a longitudinal axis and surface thereof, said recess being substantially greater in lateral dimen- SIOIl at its innermost extremity; a pair of members dimensioned so as to allow slidable movement thereof within'said recess and'frictionally engaging opposed walls Of said recess upon displacement of a corresponding longitudinal axis thereof from substantial coincidence with the longitudinal axis of said recess; and a'pair of article References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 930,796 Quackenbush Aug. 10, 1909 1,818,400 James et a1 Aug. 11, 1931 2,431,550 Gary Nov. 25, 1947 2,578,379 Taylor Dec. 11, 1951 2,811,062 Robertson Oct. 29, 1957 

1. IN APPARATUS OF THE CLASS ABOVE DESCRIBED, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING; A FRAME MEMBER HAVING A RECESS EXTENDING ALONG A LONGITUDINAL AXIS AND SURFACE THEREOF, SAID RECESS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER IN LATERAL DIMENSION AT ITS INNERMOST EXTREMITY; A PAIR OF MEMBERS DIMENSIONED SO AS TO ALLOW SLIDABLE MOVEMENT THEREOF WITHIN SAID RECESS AND FRICTIONALLY ENGAGING OPPOSED WALLS OF SAID RECESS UPON DISPLACEMENT OF A CORRESPONDING LONGITUDINAL AXIS THEREOF FROM SUBSTANTIAL COINCIDENCE WITH THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID RECESS; AND A PAIR OF ARTICLE ENGAGING MEMBERS ATTACHED TO SAID PAIR OF MEMBERS RESPECTIVELY AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID RECESS IN A DIRECTION SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO THE SURFACE OF SAID FRAME. 